High School Travel Call (Video)

[deecee]

Originally Posted by Rich

I don't avoid making the call just for the sake of not making it if that's what you're asking.

I've probably called it 4-5 times this season, which makes it an average year for me -- it's always one that I've had to get because of the advantage gained by the player being in the lane.

I was making a joke. There are some officials that make 3 seconds and travel calls their calling cards.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by deecee

I was making a joke. There are some officials that make 3 seconds and travel calls their calling cards.

They must, cause I hear coaches and fans screaming it out all the time.

[BlueDevilRef]

Originally Posted by deecee

I was making a joke. There are some officials that make 3 seconds and travel calls their calling cards.

Like the first year guy I worked with last night, who has called maybe 20 games, who had probably 20 travel calls in two JH games? And after he kept saying pivot foot this, pivot foot that? Yeah, call the ones that need called but don't be that guy

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef

Like the first year guy I worked with last night, who has called maybe 20 games, who had probably 20 travel calls in two JH games? And after he kept saying pivot foot this, pivot foot that? Yeah, call the ones that need called but don't be that guy

Aren't you a fairly new official? You can't really give a first year guy a hard time - let's not forget we were first year officials once and we weren't god's gift to officiating then either. We all have to learn...

[BlueDevilRef]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Aren't you a fairly new official? You can't really give a first year guy a hard time - let's not forget we were first year officials once and we weren't god's gift to officiating then either. We all have to learn...

Yep, in basketball anyway. didn't give him a hard time at all. Just making an example that if that is what you are going to hang your hat on, need to work harder on other things. Especially since about half of them were not travels.

And I never said I'm gods gift. FAR FAR FAR from it. It's why I'm here.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef

Yep, in basketball anyway. didn't give him a hard time at all. Just making an example that if that is what you are going to hang your hat on, need to work harder on other things. Especially since about half of them were not travels.

And I never said I'm gods gift. FAR FAR FAR from it. It's why I'm here.

I didn't mean to imply that you thought you were. It's just hard being a first year basketball official, and many quit after the first year because they are thrown into these chaotic middle school games and left on their own for the most part. In our association this year, they implemented a new set of requirements we all have to meet in order to become eligible to work post-season. One of the requirements are 2 education points. One way to get an education point is for a veteran to work a middle school game with a new official and help them. I think it's a good policy so that more often than not, we have fewer games with 2 first/second year officials thrown to the wolves. Middle school games are the toughest to officiate, in my opinion. The coaches don't know the rules and the play is erratic at best, and the parents are relentless. We are in dire need of officials in this area and we can't afford to keep losing the young ones.

[BlueDevilRef]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I didn't mean to imply that you thought you were. It's just hard being a first year basketball official, and many quit after the first year because they are thrown into these chaotic middle school games and left on their own for the most part. In our association this year, they implemented a new set of requirements we all have to meet in order to become eligible to work post-season. One of the requirements are 2 education points. One way to get an education point is for a veteran to work a middle school game with a new official and help them. I think it's a good policy so that more often than not, we have fewer games with 2 first/second year officials thrown to the wolves. Middle school games are the toughest to officiate, in my opinion. The coaches don't know the rules and the play is erratic at best, and the parents are relentless. We are in dire need of officials in this area and we can't afford to keep losing the young ones.

I tell ya man, I would love that. On both sides, I would love more training and education personally and then once I've got a good feel for it, I would love to help the new guy. I do help a lot with newbies in fast pitch. I really don't like being the "senior" guy on the floor when I'm only in my second (third registered) year.

[Dad]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef

I tell ya man, I would love that. On both sides, I would love more training and education personally and then once I've got a good feel for it, I would love to help the new guy. I do help a lot with newbies in fast pitch. I really don't like being the "senior" guy on the floor when I'm only in my second (third registered) year.

Possibly in your second, and definitely in your third you should be able to start carrying new officials. How many games do you officiate a year? Many will probably disagree with me, but when I first started I was doing 300+ games a year just to get reps in. Looks at plays and reading has been far more valuable to me, overall, than working with vets. Sure, it's great, and you learn some neat tricks, but then you have do decipher which "senior" guys are good and which aren't so good. It's a giant headache I solve by just watching top tier officials officiate. Then seeing how I differ from them. Do I want to change the difference? etc.

[BryanV21]

Originally Posted by BlueDevilRef

I tell ya man, I would love that. On both sides, I would love more training and education personally and then once I've got a good feel for it, I would love to help the new guy. I do help a lot with newbies in fast pitch. I really don't like being the "senior" guy on the floor when I'm only in my second (third registered) year.

First of all, sorry to others that we're basically hijacking this thread, but I wanted to add something that we have here in central Ohio.

When I started officiating I joined our mentoring program, where myself and a couple of other new officials were paired with a Varsity crew. So while the three of us worked the Frosh and/or JV games, the varsity crew would get there early and watch us. Then, at halftime and after the game(s), they would come in and critique us. Finally, after our game(s) were finished we'd watch the varsity crew work, and talk with them at halftime and after the game to learn more.

I'm incredibly thankful for this program as I think it's made me a much better official than I would have been had I been on my own. And our district is known as having the best officials in the state, which is at least partially thanks to programs like this.